Impact of balancing-side tooth contact on clenching induced mandibular displacements in humans

This study investigated mandibular displacements during clenching in the lateral mandibular position in relation to lateral occlusal relationships. Twelve healthy human subjects (mean=26.7 years) volunteered for this study. Acrylic occlusal devices were fabricated for the lower working-side canine, working-side second molar and balancing-side second molar in order to simulate a dominant canine guidance, working-side interference (WI), balancing-side interference (BI) and bilateral balanced occlusion (BO). Vertical displacements of the mandible were recorded by linear variable differential transformers during submaximal clenching in the right lateral position. The four experimental occlusal conditions were revealed to have a significant effect on mandibular displacement patterns (ANOVA, P < 0.001). A dominant canine raiser caused a mandibular elevation with the smallest displacement at the working-side premolar and the largest displacement at the balancing-side second molar. Clenching on a WI or BI caused a mandibular elevation with the smallest displacement at the working- or balancing-side second molar, respectively. A BO resulted in the smallest upward displacement among the four experimental conditions. These results suggest that the nature of reaction forces at the temporomandibular (TM) joints caused by the elevation of the mandible varies in a predictable manner depending upon lateral occlusal relationships.